Lifting Life's Burdens

Illus: A good example of carrying a heavy burden was Brother Jack Holcomb, who lived in Waco, Texas. He is in Heaven now, but he was a great tenor. Someone tells this, “I don’t think he ever wrote a song, but he could pick up any songbook and start singing. He had a tear in his voice, but you could understand every word he sang. He would sing awhile, preach awhile, then go back to singing. One time while at my church he told about his little girl. One night after supper, but still sitting at the kitchen table, his little girl somehow fell out of her high chair, hit her head on the floor, and died. Before the funeral service, a tornado went through downtown Waco, killing many people and destroying many buildings, including the funeral home. Brother Holcomb said, ‘When the storm passed by, I went down to the funeral home. In the midst of all that wreckage and debris, I couldn’t find my little girl’s body. I bowed my head and prayed, ‘O Lord God, please, I know my little girl is safe in the arms of Jesus, but I sure would like to bury her body. Would you help me find her?’ ‘While I was praying, the Lord impressed me to get in the car, drive to the cemetery out on Interstate 35. When I got there, hundreds of others were there. Caskets of people killed in the tornado were lined up. I walked down that long row of caskets and found my little girl.’ As soon as he ended this story, he broke out singing: ‘Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out; Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.’”

As soon as he finished that song, he started singing: “Singing I go along life’s road; Praising the Lord! Praising the Lord! Singing I go along life’s road, For Jesus has lifted my load.”

With all Brother Holcomb had been through, he trusted the Lord and kept on singing. “Sometimes we think we have it bad. But look around. You will see folks who have it a lot worse.”

Prepared by: Gerald Steffy, 6206 N. Hamilton Rd.

Peoria, IL 61614, Phone: 309-691-3680

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